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The first page about the Chao Phraya River was mainly about traffic upon the river. This second page is mainly about some of the many buildings you will see along the river.

Thailand is a very hospitable and tolerant Country. Contact with other Nations, where people have different Religions and Cultures, has always been sought by the Thai People. It is interesting to know, in this context, that Thailand is the only Country in the Region that has never been Colonialized! Maybe the tolerant and hospitable attitude of the Thais is the reason why they were so lucky!Historic sources mentioning foreign contacts go back to (at least) the 17th Century. These foreign contacts are the reason why you will not only find many Buddhist Temples (Wats) along the Chao Phraya River, but also Mosques and Christian Churches. The two pictures above show examples of a Mosque and a Christian Church.

But (luckily) still the "ultimate sight" along the Chao Phraya River is a Buddhist Temple: Wat Arun ("The Temple of Dawn"), shown here. Going from one end of the route of the Express Boat towards the other, you will literally pass dozens of Buddhist Temples.

While showing and describing the traffic on the Chao Phraya River, I mentioned the Pepsi boat and the Singha Beer boat. On the above pictures you see the factories, where these boats belong to. On the left hand side picture you can see the Singha Beer factory and on the right hand side picture you can see the Pepsi Cola factory.

While traveling along the Chao Phraya River you will also see remains from old times. The picture above shows you an old fort, near Banglampoo. It looks very new, but that is just because it had been painted a few weeks before this picture was taken. The painting had been done because HM The King was to pass there with the Royal Barges Procession on 4 November 1999.

Along the riverside you will find some fine hotels (and restaurants). They all have their own shuttle boats and if you want to have a breathtaking view when you look out of your window, stay in one of these riverside hotels! On the left hand side picture is the Oriental Hotel, that is still known as one of the best hotels in the World. Expect your hotel bill to be in accordance with that! As you can see the old part of the hotel -where many famous people have stayed- is only a very small part of the present premises.
On the right hand side you see a picture of the Royal River Hotel, which is my favorite hotel in Bangkok, given the fact that I prefer a lower bill than offered by the Oriental. The Royal River Hotel is the oldest hotel on the Western side (the Thonburi side) of the Chao Phraya River. The picture was taken after sunset, from a riverside restaurant opposite the Royal River Hotel.

And finally we should realize that Bangkok is a Metropolis, and (sadly) you can expect skyscrapers all over the place. The picture above was taken near the first (or last if you prefer) pier of the Express Boat service. It is also near another (expensive) hotel: The Menam. I do not know it personally, so I do not have an opinion about it.

I feel that this impression of the riverside in Bangkok is very incomplete. One needs dozens of pictures to cover this subject. I can recommend a small book that covers this subject much more complete.

It is called "Bangkok Waterways" by William Warren and R. Ian Lloyd, and was published by Asia Books.
(ISBN: 981-00-1011-7)